Effingham Man Gets Three-Year Prison Term

Effingham resident James R. Lowe has been sentenced to three years in prison for violating his probation for felony domestic battery.

The 46-year-old Lowe admitted in January to violating his probation during an incident last August when he struck a local woman in the face several times. Despite the lack of serious injury in the August incident and in the original domestic battery incident in 2012, Effingham County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Ealy said he sought the prison sentence for Lowe based on a continuing pattern of domestic criminality.

Ealy credited work by the Effingham Police Department on the case for laying the groundwork for Friday's proceeding.